Projection Utility Included

The ArcView Projection Utility, included with ArcView GIS 3.2, is a stand-alone wizard-based tool that lets users project shapefiles from geographic coordinates to projected coordinates or from one projection to another. It also performs datum transformations on shapefiles.

As GIS use has increased and more spatial data is shared between organizations, users need a way to incorporate data from many different projections into a common projection for display or storage in a database.

The ArcView Projection Utility appears as a program item in the ArcView GIS 3.2 program group and on the ArcView GIS GUI. This utility provides an accurate and easy method for projecting and reprojecting coordinate data and transforming datums. The wizard interface guides the user through the process of selecting the input shapefile to be projected, identifying the coordinate system for the source data, selecting predefined or custom projection parameters for the output data, and specifying name and location for the output shapefile. New shapefiles are created in the specified coordinate system; the source data is not altered. Several shapefiles in a common projection can be reprojected to another projection in one batch process.

New and Updated Data Included on Esri Data & Maps CDs

New and updated Esri Data & Maps CDs are included with ArcView GIS 3.2. The data is stored as shapefiles and includes projection files. The projection files store the coordinate system information for the data set and can be used by the new Projection Utility in ArcView GIS 3.2.

All Esri Data & Maps data sets are accompanied with predefined legend files. ArcView GIS 3.2 will automatically open the legend files when the data set is added to a view, thus providing symbols and classifications for the theme. The legends can be modified at any time.

The following data is included on the five-CD set.

World--Countries of the world (general and detailed), rivers, lakes, world gazetteer points, cities, subnational boundaries, latitude/longitude grids, and demographic attributes. The World Wildlife Fund Conservation Science Program's World Ecological Regions and the WorldSat International, Inc., 4-km resolution color-shaded relief image. The shapefile data sets are in World Geodetic System of 1984 datum.

Europe--54 countries of Europe, subnational boundaries, cities, places, major rivers, major urban areas, railroads, rivers, roads, urban areas, and water constructed from ArcWorld and the Digital Chart of the World. The shapefile data sets are in World Geodetic System of 1984 datum.

Canada and Mexico--Provinces/States, highways, cities, lakes, rivers, and demographic attributes. The shapefile data sets are in North American Datum of 1927.